The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence on Feb. 10. The former lawmaker has previously blamed NATO for Russia's war against Ukraine, and faced scrutiny for her controversial foreign policy views.
As director of national intelligence, Gabbard will be in charge of U.S. spy agencies.
Gabbard is a National Guard veteran and former Democratic congress member who left the party in 2022 and began campaigning alongside U.S. President Donald Trump. She has no formal intelligence experience and has never led a government department or agency.
She has previously repeated Kremlin talking points justifying the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/NATO had simply acknowledged Russia's legitimate security concerns," she wrote on X at the start of the invasion.
Gabbard has also argued that the eastward expansion of NATO had provoked Moscow and claimed that the U.S. was fueling a proxy war with Russia that could lead to a "forever war."
During her hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said she was "offended" by a question from Republican Senator Jerry Moran over whether Russia would "get a pass" from her in light of her past statements.
"Because my sole focus, commitment and responsibility is about our own nation, our own security, and the interests of the American people. No country, group, or individual will get a pass."
When asked who she blamed for the war in Ukraine, Gabbard backtracked on her prior remarks about NATO and U.S. President Joe Biden."(Russian President Vladimir) Putin started the war in Ukraine," she said.
Gabbard also dismissed claims that she helped amplify pro-Russian viewpoints. "I don't pay attention to Russian propaganda," she said.
Senators also grilled Gabbard on her controversial 2017 meeting with former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, a visit that sparked outrage from both Republicans and Democrats. The Russian-backed regime was accused of human rights violations, including the use of illegal chemical weapons.
"I just do not understand how you can blame NATO for Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine, and when Assad used chemical weapons against his own people, you didn't condemn him," said Senator Mark Warner, the committee's senior Democrat.
Gabbard defended the meeting with Assad, saying it was an opportunity to ask "tough questions."
Chris York
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